May 17, 2008
A few Thoughts on Prince Caspian
So, as I mentioned yesterday, David and I went to see Prince Caspian last night for our Anniversary. David wanted me to write a quick note to let you know, “Don’t waste your money.” He’s busy studying for his Qualifying Exam that is on Monday or he would write it himself.
If you are like me, you will go anyway, just because you liked the books and want to see the movie version. Of course, like just about any movie made from books, it’s not what you hope for.
“It’s a fine move as long as you are not expecting Narnia,” says David. (It’s fun quoting my husband—then I don’t have to think so hard.) “The first movie made me think of fond memories of Narnia, this movie didn’t. It’s a fun fantasy movie, and clean, but it missed the heart of the story that Lewis wrote.” David says he is still trying to figure out exactly why, and maybe he is missing the depth in the movie, but I agree with him. Narnia seems to have been lost in the movie.
I did enjoy watching it, for the most part, but was sad that it strayed so far from the book. It also missed my favorite part of the book. (Small spoiler warning, skip rest of paragraph if you wish.) Prince Caspian is not my favorite of the seven books, but the part that makes it worth reading for me is when Aslan makes a Holiday with Susan and Lucy. I love the redemption and freedom that people feel when Aslan comes and heals them or frees them from not nice situations. It is not existent in the movie. No nurse to be reunited with Prince Caspian at the end either.
David and I both agree that we are able to excuse a lot of the changes to the story, but when the silly pop song came on at the end of the movie, before it was done, we both groaned and felt the movie quality dropped to the bottom. Why must they ruin a movie by adding pop songs that don’t need to be there?
David wants to warn you to not waste your money. I don’t feel it was a waste, exactly, and I will probably go to all the movies when they come out, because I love the books so much. But I went to “The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe” three times and each time was able to be carried away into the land of Narnia. I won’t be doing that for this movie, that would be a waste of money to me.
Maybe someday this movie will take on the “Anne of Green Gables” movie factor. The first two movies of Anne of Green Gables are so good, even if they don’t follow the books exactly. They are able to stand on their own. Maybe Prince Caspian will be able to stand on it’s own too, if you aren’t expecting the book. …. Except for that silly, frustrating pop song at the end…. Groan.
Here is a link to a review that David kept talking about to me before and after the movie, from a Catholic reviewer at DecentFilms.
And if you like to twist your mind around something new, dealing with the Narian series, here is an article that has spurred conversation and debate between David and I.
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